Abstract
Over the past decades, the global exposure of persons and assets to natural hazards, like landslides, has increased faster than that their vulnerability has decreased. Therefore, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) made a call in 2015 for more investment in DRR. Recent studies exposed the lack of scientific evaluation data for selecting DRR measures. The objective of this research is to develop a participatory methodology for identifying appropriate DRR measures based on stakeholder groups’ perceptions. More specifically, we propose a social multi-criteria evaluation which combines a two-phased participatory multi-criteria analysis with an institutional analysis for its design and a discourse analysis for interpreting its outcomes. This method is then tested for a case study focusing on landslides in the Rwenzori Mountains region (Uganda) to illustrate both its relevance and practical challenges. The results from the case study highlight the perceived importance of the acceptability of measures above cost, feasibility and effectiveness criteria, by district and village stakeholder groups. Frequently recommended DRR actions, such as disaster risk zonation or relocation, are shown to be perceived negatively by local stakeholders despite being put forward in national policies. This study contributes to the DRR literature as it proposes a new method to support DRR-related decision-making. It also contributes to the understanding of landslide risk reduction in the Rwenzori Mountains region as it presents the first attempt to identify appropriate landslide risk reduction measures for the region.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atukwatse PB, Busiinge C, Tuhaise F, Ahaisibwe F, Tumwine Y, Kaahwa F, Muhumuza M (2012) Stuck in the mist: contextual analysis of the conflicts in the Rwenzori Region. Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC) and Rwenzori Forum for Peace and Justice (RFPJ), Fort Portal
Bamutaze Y (2015) Disaster risk governance in ecosystem-dependent livelihoods exposed to multiple natural hazards in Uganda. In: Companion M (ed) Disaster’s impact on livelihood and cultural survival. CRCPress, London, p 19–36
Bang HN (2014) General overview of the disaster management framework in Cameroon. Disasters 38:562–586. https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12061
Bankoff G, Krüger F, Cannon T, Schipper L (2015) Introduction: Exploring the links between cultures and disasters. In: Krüger F (ed) Cultures and disasters: understanding cultural framings in disaster risk reduction. Routledge, London, pp 1–16
Barquet K, Cumiskey L (2017) Using participatory multi-criteria assessments for assessing disaster risk reduction measures. Coast Eng 134:93–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2017.08.006
Bassett TJ, Fogelman C (2013) Déjà vu or something new? The adaptation concept in the climate change literature. Geoforum 48:42–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2013.04.010
Blackburn S (2014) The politics of scale and disaster risk governance: barriers to decentralisation in Portland, Jamaica. Geoforum 52:101–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2013.12.013
Cannon T (2008) Reducing people’s vulnerability to natural hazards communities and resilience. UNU-WIDER, Helsinki
Cannon T (2015) Disasters, climate change and the significance of “culture,” in: F. Krüger (Ed), Cultures and Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings in Disaster Risk Reduction. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London ; New York, pp. 88–106
CRED (2015) EMDAT disaster database [WWW Document]. Int. Disaster Database. URL www.emdat.be. Accessed 12 May 2015
Davis I, Yanagisawa K, Georgieva K (2015) Disaster risk reduction for economic growth and livelihood: investing in resilience and development. Routledge, London
Dodgson J, Spackman M, Pearman A, Phillips L (2009) Multi-criteria analysis: a manual. Communities and Local Government, UK, Wetherby
Funtowicz S, Ravetz J (1991) A new scientific methodology for global environmental issues. In: Costanza R (ed) Ecological economics. Columbia, New York, pp 137–152
Funtowicz S, Ravetz J (1994) The worth of a songbird: ecological economics as a post-normal science. Ecol Econ 10:197–207
Furedi F (2007) The changing meaning of disaster. Area 39:482–489. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4762.2007.00764.x
Gaillard JC, Mercer J (2013) From knowledge to action: Bridging gaps in disaster risk reduction. Progress in Human Geography 37:93–114. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132512446717
Gamper CD, Turcanu C (2009) Can public participation help managing risks from natural hazards? Saf Sci 47:522–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2008.07.005
Gramsci A (1998) Selections from the prison notebooks. Lawrence & Wishart, London
Gustafson S (2015) Maps and contradictions: urban political ecology and cartographic expertise in southern Appalachia. Geoforum 60:143–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2015.01.017
Herath G (2004) Incorporating community objectives in improved wetland management: the use of the analytic hierarchy process. J Environ Manag 70:263–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2003.12.011
Hewitt K (2015) Framing disaster in the “global village”: cultures of rationality in risk, security and news. In: Krüger F (ed) Cultures and disasters: understanding cultural framings in disaster risk reduction. Routledge, London, pp 19–36
Huang IB, Keisler J, Linkov I (2011) Multi-criteria decision analysis in environmental sciences: ten years of applications and trends. Sci Total Environ 409:3578–3594. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.06.022
Interviewee A (2017) Focus group interview
Interviewee B (2017) Focus group interview
Jacobs L, Dewitte O, Poesen J, Delvaux D, Thiery W, Kervyn M (2016) The Rwenzori Mountains, a landslide-prone region? Landslides 13:519–536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-015-0582-5
Jacobs L, Dewitte O, Poesen J, Maes J, Mertens K, Sekajugo J, Kervyn M (2017) Landslide characteristics and spatial distribution in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda. J Afr Earth Sci 134:917–930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2016.05.013
Jenkins DH, Harris A, Abu Tair A, Thomas H, Okotel R, Kinuthia J, Mofor L, Quince M (2013) Community-based resilience building: normative meets narrative in Mbale, 2010/2011. Environ Hazards 12:47–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2012.738641
Jenner B, Titscher S (2000) Methods of text and discourse analysis. SAGE, London ; Thousand Oaks [Calif.]
Kaika M (2017) “Don’t call me resilient again!” the new urban agenda as immunology … or what happens when communities refuse to be vaccinated with “smart cities” and indicators. Environ Urban 29:89–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247816684763
Kervyn M, Jacobs L, Maes J, Che V, de Hontheim A, Dewitte O, Isabirye M, Sekajugo J, Kabaseke C, Poesen J, Vranken L, Mertens K (2015) Landslide resilience in Equatorial Africa: moving beyond problem identification! Belgeo:1–19. https://doi.org/10.4000/belgeo.15944
Knapen A, Kitutu MG, Poesen J, Breugelmans W, Deckers J, Muwanga A (2006) Landslides in a densely populated county at the footslopes of Mount Elgon (Uganda): characteristics and causal factors. Geomorphology 73:149–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.07.004
Laclau E, Mouffe C (1985) Hegemony and socialist strategy: towards a radical democratic politics. Verso, London
Lim B, Spanger-Siegfried E, Burton I, Malone EL, Huq S (2005) Adaptation policy frameworks for climate change: developing strategies, policies, and measures. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Linstone HA, Turoff M (1975) The Delphi method: techniques and applications. Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., Advanced Book Program, Reading
Maes J, Kervyn M, de Hontheim A, Dewitte O, Jacobs L, Mertens K, Vanmaercke M, Vranken L, Poesen J (2017a) Landslide risk reduction measures: a review of practices and challenges for the tropics. Prog Phys Geogr 41:191–221. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133316689344
Maes J, Poesen J, Parra C, Kabaseke C, Bwambale B, Mertens K, Jacobs L, Dewitte O, Vranken L, de Hontheim A, Kervyn M (2017b) Landslide risk Management in Uganda: a multi-level policy approach. In: Mikos M, Arbanas S, Yin Y, Sassa K (eds) Advancing culture of living with landslides. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 395–403. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53487-9_46
Manyena SB, O’Brien G, O’Keefe P, Rose J (2011) Disaster resilience: a bounce back or bounce forward ability? Local Environ 16:417–424
Mertens K, Jacobs L, Maes J, Kabaseke C, Maertens M, Poesen J, Kervyn M, Vranken L (2016) The direct impact of landslides on household income in tropical regions: a case study from the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda. Sci Total Environ 550:1032–1043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.171
Munda G (2004) Social multi-criteria evaluation: methodological foundations and operational consequences. Eur J Oper Res 158:662–677. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(03)00369-2
Nathan F (2008) Risk perception, risk management and vulnerability to landslides in the hill slopes in the city of La Paz, Bolivia. Disasters 32:337−357. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0361-3666.2008.01043.x
Newman JP, Maier HR, Riddell GA, Zecchin AC, Daniell JE, Schaefer AM, van Delden H, Khazai B, O’Flaherty MJ, Newland CP (2017) Review of literature on decision support systems for natural hazard risk reduction: current status and future research directions. Environ Model Softw 96:378–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.06.042
O’Keefe P, Westgate K, Wisner B (1976) Taking the naturalness out of natural disasters. Nature 260:566–567
Oliver-Smith A (2015) Conversations in catastrophe: neoliberalism and the cultural construction of disaster risk. In: Krüger F (ed) Cultures and disasters: understanding cultural framings in disaster risk reduction. Routledge, London, pp 37–52
OPMRU (2010) The National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management. Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Uganda, Kampala
Pelling M (2007) Learning from others: the scope and challenges for participatory disaster risk assessment. Disasters 31:373–385
Pelling M, Dill K (2010) Disaster politics: tipping points for change in the adaptation of sociopolitical regimes. Progress in Human Geography 34, pp. 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132509105004
Pelling M (2011) Adaptation to climate change: from resilience to transformation. Routledge, London
Power DJ (2008) Decision support systems: a historical overview. In: Burstein F, Holsapple C (eds) Handbook on decision support systems 1: Basic Themes. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, pp 121–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48713-5_7
PreventionWeb (2012) Compilation of National Progress Reports on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (2009–2011). UNISDR, Geneva
Renn O (2015) Stakeholder and public involvement in risk governance. Int J Disaster Risk Sci 6:8–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-015-0037-6
Renn O, Webler T, Rakel H, Dienel P, Johnson B (1993) Public participation in decision making: a three-step procedure. Policy Sci 26:189–2014
Renn O, Klinke A, van Asselt M (2011) Coping with complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity in risk governance: a synthesis. AMBIO 40:231–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-010-0134-0
Reubens B, Moeremans C, Poesen J, Nyssen J, Tewoldeberhan S, Franzel S, Deckers J, Orwa C, Muys B (2011) Tree species selection for land rehabilitation in Ethiopia: from fragmented knowledge to an integrated multi-criteria decision approach. Agrofor Syst 82:303–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-011-9381-8
Roy B (1996) Multicriteria methodology for decision aiding, nonconvex optimization and its applications. Springer US, Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2500-1
Saaty TL (1990) How to make a decision: The analytic hierarchy process. Eur J Oper Res 48:9–26
Scott JC (1998) Seeing like a state: how certain schemes to improve the human condition have failed, Yale agrarian studies. Yale University Press, New Haven
Scott A (2011) Focussing in on focus groups: effective participative tools or cheap fixes for land use policy? Land Use Policy 28:684–694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2010.12.004
Sidney S (1957) Nonparametric statistics for the behavioural sciences. J Nerv Ment Disord 125:114–124
Smith N, Brown C, Saunders W (2016) Disaster risk management decision-making: review (No. 2016/04), Resilient Organisations Research Report. Resilient Organisations, Auckland, New Zealand
UBOS (2013) Statistical Abstract 2013. Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Kampala, Uganda
UNESCO (2014) Study on the geo-hazards vulnerability and risk profiles in hot-spot areas as a support to early warning, disaster preparedness and risk reduction (EWDPRR) measures in Uganda
UNISDR (2015) Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. In: A/CONF.224/CRP.1. Presented at the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan, pp 1–25
Vaciago G (2013) The safe land compendium of landslide risk mitigation measures. In: Margottini C, Canuti P, Sassa K (eds) landslide science and practice. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, pp 683–689
van den Hove S (2006) Between consensus and compromise: acknowledging the negotiation dimension in participatory approaches. Land Use Policy 23:10–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2004.09.001
Van Dijk T (2008) Discourse and power. Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke
Vlaeminck P, Maertens M, Isabirye M, Vanderhoydonks F, Poesen J, Deckers S, Vranken L (2016) Coping with landslide risk through preventive resettlement. Designing optimal strategies through choice experiments for the Mount Elgon region, Uganda. Land Use Policy 51:301–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.11.023
Wamsler C (2006) Mainstreaming risk reduction in urban planning and housing: a challenge for international aid organisations. Disasters 30:151–177
Watts M (1983) On the poverty of theory: natural hazards research in context. In: Interpretations of calamity from the viewpoint of human ecology. Allen & Unwin Inc., Boston, pp 231–262
Weichselgartner J, Pigeon P (2015) The role of knowledge in disaster risk reduction. Int J Disaster Risk Sci 6:107–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-015-0052-7
Wisner B (2016) Vulnerability as a concept, model, metric and tool. ORE NHS. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389407.013.2
Wisner B, Blaikie P, Cannon T, Davis I (2004) At risk: natural hazards, people’s vulnerability and disasters (Second edition). Routledge, London
Wodak R, Meyer M (2016) Methods of critical discourse studies, 3rd edn. SAGE, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
ESM 1
(DOCX 23 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maes, J., Mertens, K., Jacobs, L. et al. Social multi-criteria evaluation to identify appropriate disaster risk reduction measures: application to landslides in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda. Landslides 16, 1793–1807 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-1030-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-1030-0